New Feature: Longacre Genre Analysis

Jacob Cerone

What Is It?

The Longacre Genre Analysis Dataset employs Robert Longacre’s categories of discourse genre, as detailed in his The Grammar of Discourse, to the pericopes of the Old and New Testaments. We have adapted Longacre’s taxonomy of four main genres, each having two sub-genres according to the needs of the project. They are listed below:

Narrative

            Story

            Future Events

Procedural

            How it was done

            How to do it

Behavioral

            Evaluation

            Hortatory

Expository

            What things are or were like

            What things will be like

Texts are placed in these categories according to three different surface features: Agent focus, temporal succession, and projection.

How Does It Work?

The Longacre Genre Analysis Dataset data can be accessed and searched from the context menu. Or, if you know the syntax, can simply be searched in a new search query. You can find all the various types of speech acts and the search query in the Longacre Genre Analysis Dataset Documentation.

Dr. Joel Madasu

Excellent!

Franky Wong

I notice the Longacre Genre Dataset is included in the Logos Max subscription, so I decided to check it out today. This article is great!

However, both this article and the LGABDD (dataset documentation) appear to use search syntax that no longer works in the current version of Logos. Can this article link to a new one with updated search syntax/screenshots, and the Logos dataset (and related) documentation get updated?

An example from Longacre Genre Analysis of the Bible Dataset Documentation has this old syntax:

{Section <lgenre = Narrative: Story>}

in the current Logos version:

section:longacreGenre:="Narrative: Story"

Another example with old search syntax:

greek:λόγος INTERSECTS {Label Longacre Genre WHERE Primary ~ <LongacreGenre Narrative: Story>}

its current search syntax is:

greek:λόγος INTERSECTS label.longacreGenre:primary:longacreGenre:"Narrative: Story"

In addition, the context UI looks a lot different in the current version of Logos compare to Logos 10 from this article. When I try the same steps as the first screenshot in the article (LEB, same bible verse, right-click on the word "heard"), it took me quite some time to locate the Longacre Genre. Turns out it is listed at the bottom, and (like it or not) with the terms spelled out verbosely. Instead of "Exp.: Where Longacre Genre LONGACRE GENRE" (as shown in the first screenshot in the article), it is now "Expository: What things are or where like Lon…". As a result, a quick glance will likely not find "Lon…" when looking for Longacre Genre, which appeared twice in the first screenshot in this article, but now only "Lon…" in the current version of Logos, see screenshot below.

To a determined user, I think we can get at the search syntax/UI eventually. However, having updated screenshots/search syntax in the dataset documentation (and/or a new forum article) will make this great resource more accessible. Not to mention adding some more search examples. If Logos is going to a subscription model and packaging this feature in the Max subscription, I think its outdated documentation deserves some updates and polishing to match.

Furthermore, it would be nice if the right-click dialog box and/or the divider are resizable. Perhaps this is a good feature request, esp. when more people have big monitors nowadays, and Logos now display the info in a more verbose way. It will be great if the dialog box and divider are resizable :-)

Adam B. Shaeffer

Thanks, @Franky Wong. I've passed this along to the team so they can look into it.

MJ. Smith

They are working on conversion of old documents, but in the meantime if you use the old syntax, Logos will convert it to the new syntax. Note there are two items - a label and a datatype as shown in the red boxes below. FYI the right-click opens the Context Menu - emphasis on context because of the diversity in what options are offered depending on context.